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Monthly Archives: June 2018

“Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said, “The Lord has helped us every step of the way.””‬‬

This is one of my favorite verses! So, here’s one of the cool things about Ebenezer, for generations to come, when the Israelites would pass by that stone they would tell their children and grandchildren about the goodness and faithfulness of God. They would hand down these stories of our mighty God from generation to generation like the most priceless of heirlooms. Man, that gets me excited just thinking about it!

Can you imagine how cool it would have been for those kids growing up in Israel? They knew God was good because they were always seeing these monuments and reminders of how God had saved and delivered their family.

I think we need to do a better job of remembering and reminding ourselves of God’s faithfulness. In the dark times, it is important to remember the light times so we don’t get lost in a swirl thinking that all we will ever see is darkness. A great way to do that is to start a journal. Even if you only write when things are good, you will have a much better chance of remembering them when the darkness comes.

The more we focus on God’s goodness, the more of it we will see. As we watch for God – even in everyday, mundane life – we will begin to see Him more and more. And the more we see Him, the more grateful to Him we will become; nothing attracts the Presence of God like thankfulness.

I am sending LionHearted love to all of you! You are beautiful and wonderful, shine bright friends!!

I am going to be very honest with you guys, for the past couple of weeks, I have been hardcore struggling with burnout. Parts of ministry that used to fill my life with joy felt like chores and mere obligations. The problem was not the work itself, or even my attitude about it. The problem was, I wasn’t taking the time I needed to rest and I was completely exhausting myself.

Rest is an essential part of our lives. Even in the Bible, Jesus made sure to rest and He taught His disciples to do the same thing. In Mark 6, after the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus’ disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. I’ve always thought that was significant. After the crowds had dispersed and everyone had gone home, the disciples still had to eat.

Jesus is always very intentional about taking care of every need we have. In our lives, Jesus is willing and able to provide provision for us, but we have to be willing to be still enough to listen and receive.

Rest looks different to everyone, just because someone you know rests a certain way, that doesn’t negate the way you rest. Some people “rest” in a very literal sense, a nap may be the best thing for them. Others “rest” by doing a physical activity like going for a run or a stroll through a nature area. Personally, I rest by putting on my favorite music, closing my eyes, and letting God use the words and melodies to speak to me. The way you rest doesn’t really matter, the only thing that matters is that you make sure you are resting.

You might be surprised by how much change you see from a little bit of rest. Even if your schedule doesn’t allow for you to rest for hours every day, even a few minutes can change your whole outlook.

I’m sending LionHearted love to all of you! Keep living your life in God’s Love, you’re amazing!

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.”

I have a game on my phone called Good Pizza, Great Pizza. It is highly addictive and I don’t recommend getting it unless you have extreme levels of self-control because it just kinda sucks you in and keeps you there for hours! The app was recently updated and new features were installed – I know this sounds like an app review, stick with me – one of these was a google review type area where the customers of the game could rate your pizza. When they post a review, the customers also upload a picture of the pizza you made for them. Some of the negative review-earning pizzas are absolutely cringe-worthy.

As a way of getting larger tips, thus increasing the income of the entire business, I have begun looking at each pizza before serving it and asking myself “Am I okay with this pizza representing my business?” If not, I will fix the problem, or redo the entire order.

As Christians, our lives should be the ‘’google review’’ of God’s work in our lives. Our actions, our words, and even our thoughts – to some degree – should serve as a testimony to who God is and how He works. Before we do or say anything, we should take a moment to consider, am I okay with this representing my King?

We are ambassadors of His goodness on the earth. People cannot see God, but they should be able to see God in us. If people aren’t able to experience the God we serve, how are they going to want what we have?

If you are doing or saying things that are poor representations of Jesus, there are probably some changes that are in order. Here’s the good news, if we are willing to change the way we do life, we’ve already taken the first step and God will meet us in the middle.

I want to challenge all of you today, take a good look at the things you allow to fill your mind, your mouth, and *movements. If it represents Jesus well, AWESOME!! If not, find out what you need to do to adjust it, and DO IT!

*I’m super proud of myself for finding another M. I love alliteration to make my points, but sometimes it’s a STRUGGLE.